Barry Magee
 Abebe Bikila and Barry Magee at the 1960 Olympics | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Arthur Barry Magee | |||||||||||
| Nationality |  New Zealand | |||||||||||
| Born | 6 February 1934 New Plymouth, New Zealand | |||||||||||
| Height | 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 53 kg (117 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 5000 m, 10,000 m, marathon | |||||||||||
| Club | Three Kings Athletic Club, Auckland | |||||||||||
| Coached by | Gil Edwards Arthur Lydiard | |||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 5000 m – 13:39.2 (1961) 10,000 m – 28:50.8 (1961) Marathon – 2:17:19 (1960)[1][2] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Arthur Barry Magee MNZM (born 6 February 1934) is a retired New Zealand long-distance runner. He won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1960 Olympics and placed 23th–26th in the 10,000 m event at the 1960 and 1964 games. He withdrew from the 1964 Olympic marathon due to an injury.[1]
Biography
Magee was one of the large group of athletes that New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard used to revolutionise how the world trained for all sports. At the 1960 Olympic Games Lydiard's pupils and Magee's training partners, Murray Halberg and Peter Snell won gold medals over 5000 m and 800 m within one hour. Magee's bronze in the marathon confirmed Lydiard's training methods. Magee's run in Rome made him the fastest white marathon runner of all time to that moment. He went on to win many major international races, including the 1960 Fukuoka Marathon. But Magee was much more than a marathon runner; he also ran the world's third fastest time over 3miles and fifth fastest 5000 m at that time. He also recorded the world's fastest 10,000 m and 2nd fastest 5000 m for 1961 and was part of New Zealand's 4 × 1 mile world record breaking relay team in 1961.[1]
Magee always attributed his success to Lydiard, who had become something of a father figure after Magee's own father died in the same year that Lydiard started coaching him. After retiring from international competition Magee coached several top runners himself.
In the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours, Magee was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to sport.[3]
Quotes
- “Anyone can run 20 miles. It's the next six that count.” [4]
- “Speed kills, distance doesn't”
- “Train don't strain”
- “Hills are the shortcut to success”
- “There are horses for courses”
- “The body can only do what the body is regularly accustomed to doing”
- Here's one of Barry's favourites and it's one of his twelve commandments: "Go straight to bed after training when you're sick"
References
- ^ a b c Barry Magee. sports-reference.com
- ^ Barry Magee. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours List 2002. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ Barry Magee quotes. thinkexist.com
External links
- Biography at New Zealand Olympic Committee website
- Barry Magee's School of Running
- Tips from Barry Magee
- 1934 births
- Living people
- New Zealand long-distance runners
- New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame inductees
- New Zealand athletics coaches
- Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes of New Zealand
- People from New Plymouth
- Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit